As my friend Nicki put quite so eloquently this morning, "Merry Christmas Eve's Eve" I can't believe that a whole year has gone by already, and Christmas is here once again. It's crazy how life seems to speed up the older you get. Maybe it's just because I no longer have the boring hours of school to trudge through (though some days, it feels like it, depending on the kind of job you have). Anyway, since it's almost Christmas, I thought it would be nice to reminisce about Christmas gaming memories of old

Three Happy Kongs

As far as I can remember, ALL of my gaming was supplied through gifts as a child. My first Nintendo was a Christmas present. Every console after that was a Christmas or birthday present. I was more likely to get games for birthdays, but they came at Christmas as well, especially when we would get new consoles. It wasn't until after high school really that I started buying video games of my own accord with my own money. And once that era of my life started, it never stopped Today, I spend way too much money on video games then I should...but hey, what's a collector to do?

I have two distinct memories that I want to share with you. Both are centered around Christmas and gaming gifts that I got. No, it's not one of those moments that was recorded by giddy parents who wanted to preserve the facial reactions of their children for all time as they opened the package to reveal a Nintendo 64 or Xbox 360. Sadly, there is no video of these moments. But, in a mind like mine, which has a hard enough time remembering what I ate for dinner last night sometimes, these memories definitely stand out for me.

For the first memory, I have to talk about the time that I got a Gameboy Color for Christmas along with The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (amazing game...why did I sell it???). My parents had gotten my brother and I a Gameboy Color that year for Christmas (I was like...10, I think?) and they hid it pretty decently in a closet. However, I was one of those overly curious children who would search every room for the presents that his parents had hid. And so, after searching high and low in the rooms I knew they had hid the presents in, I stumbled upon the Holy Grail. A Gameboy Color. I was so, so, SO freaking excited for this. I had wanted one for a long time, and finally, here it was, in my hands. And then, I realized something in that moment: I had to wait another week or so before I could actually play it. That sucks.

After putting it back in its hiding spot, another thought came upon me: I have to act surprised now on Christmas when I open it...otherwise, they might realize I already knew about it, get mad and take it back. This thought literally motivated me to one of the best acting experiences of my life (though trust me, I still sucked...it was no Oscar worthy performance). I was so excited to be getting this thing though, that I came across as completely believably surprised. It was a good moment

Enjoy this clip of a kid getting a fake Wii made out of legos for Christmas

The second memory I want to share with you took place right before I got a Nintendo 64. How many of you remember the days where you could go to a video store and rent an entire system, take it home with you and play it for a few days all for the low price of 10 or so dollars? I do. And that's what I did before getting a Nintendo 64. It was kind of a test run for my parents, because at this point, they were getting wary of buying video games more and more for my brother and I because they didn't want us to be addicted to them or anything like that. Plus, I think they've always seen video games as a phase that I would eventually get over...oops lol.

I remember renting the game Snowboard Kids to go with the Nintendo 64 and it was mind blowing. For me, that game was (and still is) a great reminder of my youth. It was fun, it was over the top, it was silly, and you could play with other people Everything needed as a child to greatly enjoy a game. Now, if I remember correctly, this all took place before Christmas, and allowed my dad to see what the system was all about and whether they should get one for their children. Thankfully, they did, which opened me up to a whole new system of greatness Sadly, I don't remember what games they bought us for the N64 when we first got it...and weirdly, now that I think about it, I don't think we ever actually owned Ocarina of Time...I borrowed it from friends, but I don't think we owned it ourselves. Now I do

Anyway, that's really all I have to share today I hope your Christmas season is fantastic, and all the games and consoles you asked for are waiting under that tree for you. Sadly, no gaming will be coming to me in gift form this year (and haven't for years) so that's why I bought an early Christmas gift for myself in the form of Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid and Super Mario RPG for the SNES...mmmm...retro Christmas Merry Christmas y'all...tell me about some of your favorite Christmas gaming memories in the comments

I was not expecting any exciting gaming news today...then again, I never know when to expect exciting gaming news to come out of the industry, and so whenever it does happen, I guess I'm surprised. But I never, NEVER would have expected something like this. And I'll be honest: I'm stoked for this game. But here, let me show you what I'm talking about:

*sigh* I think I might be in love. Now, let me explain something to you: I love The Legend of Zelda. And, I love Dynasty Warriors. I don't really understand why I love Dynasty Warriors because it's a very simple formula that can easily get very repetitive. And yet, I love it. I enjoy hacking my way through hordes of enemies. I will admit, Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 was the first one I couldn't finish because it was the SAME story from the first one and they barely added anything new...plus, I got stuck on a boss so I said screw it.

This mash up is brilliant. Whoever came up with this idea should be rewarded, given a million dollars and promoted to head of the company's freaking creative team. This is genius! Link + hordes of enemies = way, way too much fun

Now, if the game sticks to the tried and true formula of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, there is so much that could happen with this game. Could we play as Zelda? Could we run around as a Goron dealing all kind of damage? Could we play as Ganon? Better yet, can we finally play as Sheik? The endless joy that could be had with this game! And to think that yesterday, I was wanting to buy a Wii U just for Super Mario 3D World and a few others. Now there's this? I find it funny that I'm more excited for a Wii U then I am currently to buy a Xbox One or PS4. Hmmm...

Now tell me what you think...does this look exciting to you? Are you a fan of the Dynasty Warriors franchise? Will you buy and play this? Or does it look/sound stupid to you? Let me know in the comments below...

Ahh...time to write a blog about something that has entwined its way across my entire life...like, seriously, my entire existence. From my first gaming console to present day to what I want 6 months from now, Nintendo has always been present, always been faithful, and always been fun

Well, Hello, Old Friend

Lately, I've been hearing Nintendo get a lot of flak because of their decisions as of late. Everything from Youtube issues to the Wii U, Nintendo just can't seem to do anything right in the eyes of gamers these days. I saw one quote that said something along the lines of, "Nintendo is irrelevant as a hardware developer." I've seen articles about how the Wii U is only going to make a quarter of what the Wii made. I've read and heard all sorts of comments from people about how the Wii U is a failure, the weakest of the systems, etc. etc. etc. Now, I personally do not have a Wii or a Wii U (*tear*). However, NONE of these negative comments about the Wii U will stop me from spending my tax refund on one. Why? Because...Nintendo is a company that I have faith in.

While many gamers and game companies seem to be losing faith in Nintendo and their hardware, I find myself wondering why Nintendo really even needs 3rd party software on the Wii U? Nintendo has ALWAYS made the best 1st party games, out of all the consoles. Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Pikmin, Mario Kart, Star Fox, just to name a few. Some of the most iconic characters in the gaming world were created by Nintendo. Without them, where would we, as an industry, be? Would we even still be around, if Mario had never been introduced? Would gaming have survived without the true greats like the Nintendo 64 and Super Nintendo? It is because of the enduring legacy of these characters that I believe Nintendo will always matter. And no, I don't mean as just a software giant.

Nintendo has made some very bold moves in the past decade. They've introduced concepts to the hardware market that the other greats had not come up with yet. Or, if they had, they hadn't implemented them yet. And still, even after the debut of the Kinect and the Move, no console has made motion control work nearly as well as Nintendo did with the Wii. And the Wii U is just an extension of that, with a game pad that allows you to control things in very similar ways. I personally enjoyed my time with the demo of Rayman Legends that I got to play at a local Gamestop. Twisting and turning the game pad to make things move and turn in the game was a lot of fun, trying to figure out the right angles and which way to turn it. I personally enjoyed it. But that's not all. Not only has Nintendo raised the bar for the hardware side of things, they consistently improve and innovate on the software side of things as well. Changing a character from 2D to 3D to move along walls and platforms on a handheld system? Check. Using bongo drums to control a characters movements in game? Check. Freaking lightsabers? Check (now, I have not actually played with these, just seen them...but come on...handheld Wii Lightsabers vs. Kinect light sabers? No contest).

Look at your Top 10 list of favorite games/series. How many of those games are from Nintendo? It seems like the majority of people have at LEAST The Legend of Zelda series in their Top 10. Nintendo did that, and Nintendo continues to do that. Sure, they've made some flops and missteps, but what company hasn't? I find it a little sad that a great company like Nintendo has been pulled down to the point where their future as a company depends solely on how much money the Wii U makes compared to the Wii and to the other systems. This bring me back to my rants about how gaming should be more about love and passion for the games instead of the bottom line, but that's a whole other blog.

Before someone accuses me of playing favorites here and preferring Nintendo over the others or what not, let me assure you that I love all 3 of the greats. Nintendo is just one company that I'm defensive over because of the impact they've had on me over the course of my life. A lot of my memories from childhood and teenage years revolve around my time with some of Nintendo's best consoles and games. Heck, one of my favorite Christmas moments involves me discovering my gift was a Gameboy Color with Link's Awakening about a week before Christmas, and having to pretend on Christmas day that I was completely surprised and taken off guard. Trust me, it's harder than it sounds

I honestly believe that there are only a handful of characters from Sony and Microsoft combined that will be remembered 10, 20 years from now. But, Nintendo on the other hand...their characters will live on, because, as the past 20 years have proven, they already have.

Now tell me what you think...is Nintendo still relevant today? Who are your favorite Nintendo characters and games and why?

This will be a bit of a different kind of blog. Probably won't have any many images in it as usual...just have some thoughts in my head that I thought I would share. But first, the good news I won a freaking iPad in a health challenge contest at my work place...yeah, I'm that good lol...but, I'm probably going to take it to the store it was bought from and return it for the cash cuz I need money more than I need an iPad. Plus, I haven't sold my soul to Apple (yet). But, onto the topic.

When did gaming become the "in" thing to do? I mean, I've noticed for years the massive rise in people playing video games, posting videos about games, blogging about games, cosplaying, etc. But honestly, the more that I think about it, the more I wonder: when did it become okay to like video games? When did society shift to a place where it was no longer just the "nerdy" thing to do? Sure, a lot of gamers are "nerdy" in many ways, but not all. I myself am a self-professed nerd...I love comics, video games, anime, superhero movies, and Youtube lol. But I know people who aren't "nerdy" who love to play video games. I see these gorgeous girls on Youtube and other places who love to play video games, and I think to myself, "When did this become normal?"

I'm 26 years old. When I was in middle school/high school, gaming was the furthest thing from popular. If you played video games and were open about it, you were teased and lumped in with the nerds, losers, and outcasts of the grade. And that was where I found myself, because I loved video games. I remember one day in Spanish class in about 6th or 7th grade, I asked my best friend at that time a question about Ocarina of Time, and he told me to be quiet and not talk about it. I didn't understand. When it was him and I, we talked gaming all the time, and played a lot of games (some of my fondest memories with gaming in middle school/high school happened with him...GTA III for the win). But at school, surrounded by the group that was quickly becoming his new group of friends, it was taboo.

I guess because I've been so new coming to the wide world known as Youtube, I've missed out on this rapid transformation, this shift in thought that led to the mindset that video gaming was no longer a loser thing to do, but was actually popular and accepted. Don't get me wrong...I could be wrong about all of this. Kids in middle school and high school could still be teased for gaming, but part of me thinks it doesn't happen nearly as much as it used to.

To be honest, I would've loved if more kids had gamed when I was younger. I was a social reject in a lot of ways at that point in my life, and I would've loved to have some legit friends who shared similar interests with me. Now, at 26, I still find myself searching for that in friends. It's a lot harder, though, at this stage in my life, to find people to be real friends with. And heck, with the sudden influx of gorgeous girls gaming, you would think I would have no problem finding a girlfriend who shared that interest...but apparently, ever gamer chick I meet that I could see myself being interested in, she's already taken. I don't get it. :)

I watch Youtube videos from girls like Raychul Moore, Jessica Nigri, Katie Wilson, and others, and they are all avid gamers. They cosplay, they game, and they aren't teased or stigmatized for it. Maybe it's because they are hot and show a lot of boob (well, Raychul and Jessica do...Katie doesn't, and I'm glad for that). There are many other girl gamers on Youtube as well, and it seemed like for a long time, early on, the common practice for girls was to show a lot of cleavage in video game videos they made. I don't know if this is prevalent still for many of them, but honestly, I hope that we've moved past that point in the video game world. Beautiful girls should not have to show as much boob as possible to find acceptance in the gaming world.

However, I do still find that there are people who are resistant to the gaming world becoming the norm. You see it on the news all the time, and in politics, especially after violent shootings happen. My dad is pretty anti-gaming and isn't too fond of the idea that I still play video games at my age. He seems to think that gaming is immature and I need to grow up. My sister-in-law is very similar in that mindset, though she grew up without TV really, so her views are a bit more understandable to me. But that's the kind of girl that I don't want to end up some day...I want to be able to share my passion for gaming with someone, not have to give it up to be with them. A girl I met at college told me that gaming is the most unattractive thing in guys. A lot of other people I've met have told me similar things, that it's unattractive at this age, that it's immature, that it kills brain cells and wastes time.

So gaming, while more normal now than it ever was when I was a teenager, is still stigmatized and misunderstood by some. My main question that I want to pose, though, is this: when did gaming become the norm? What caused it to shift from being taboo to popular? When did gaming become so big? Tell me your thoughts below And now, to leave you with my ending image...gotta have some kind of calling card right?

Well y'all, I saw a bunch of people doing this thing, so I decided I would go ahead and make one as well. Sorry I haven't written much this week...been combating some stuff at my apartment. Anyway, here we go.

Yup, That's Me!

No Picture Of Me For You

Real Name: Well, obviously, a name like Azrael...not quite my real name For now, just call me Xander (I'll let you decide if it's real).

Nicknames: Currently, none that I'm aware of. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. The most common nickname growing up was Worm (and a few other words that I won't repeat here). All in all, I'd rather be called by my real name...

Age: 26 (sheesh, I'm old)

From: Washington (the state, not DC...I've been to DC though)

User Name: azraelblack777

Reason Behind User Name: Well, I've explained this once I think, and in Arieces interview with me (whenever that comes around) the origin of my user name should be in there as well. However, I will say this: it's a combination of two fictional characters, one that I made up and one from a great book, and the number 7 repeated three times. 7 is the number of perfection (or is it completion?) in the Bible...and if I remember correctly, it had something to do with the band Underoath once upon a time.

Pet Peeves: That's actually a good question...I don't know if I really have any pet peeves? I definitely don't have a pet named Peeves. Hmmm...oh ok, well, I would say that one pet peeve is people who demand equality and fairness all around, and yet, when it comes down to it, they really only mean equality and fairness for people who agree with them.

Catchphrases: Don't have any catchphrases, but I play a mean game of Catchphrase (ba doom chuu *drum sound for joke*).

Gaming Habits and Tendencies and Other Complicated Words...

An Empty Chest Is A Great Chest!

Gaming Background: Well, I had the joy of growing up in the Nintendo era. I got my first NES when I was like, 5, or something like that. I have no idea. All I know is that NES started it all for me. Playing Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, and the Bible game From there, we proceeded to upgrade to each new Nintendo system (whether early or late, it didn't matter...we still got it). I remember one Christmas, searching through the house to see what my parents had bought us and stumbling across the Gameboy Color and Link's Awakening that they had bought for my brother and I. I had to fake surprise on Christmas Still a great game...sad that I sold my copy It wasn't until I was 18 or 19 that I finally branched off from Nintendo systems. Heck, I even took a break from gaming entirely for like a year or two (crazy). But then my dad bought a PS3 for the blu-ray capability and my brother sold me a PS2 and the rest is history

Game Character Crush: Really? Lol...people have these? Hmmm...I have no idea...sure there are some hot female characters in gaming, but the way they are portrayed usually and how they are oversexualized greatly bothers me But, if I have to choose, I'd probably say Lara Croft from the most recent Tomb Raider (not the old Lara Croft, and definitely not Angelina Jolie)...

Real Life Crush: Ok, so it's pretty much between these two people. I couldn't pick one, I'm sorry! Lol...anyway, here goes:

Gorgeous Girl

I chose this picture of Jessica Nigri for a reason. It's covering her whole body. Sure I might seem prudish, but honestly, I kinda like it when she's not showing off her boobs in her cosplay outfits. I would honestly love to meet her someday, just because she does pull off the cosplay she does really well. Plus, she's freaking gorgeous. So, yeah and here's pick number 2...

Lindsey Stirling!!!

If you can't tell, this is a picture of Lindsey Stirling...the more I look at this picture, I realize how little it actually looks like her lol...but I know it is her because I've been listening to her music for so long. I remember when she put this teaser image up for a Final Fantasy video (yes, she's dressed as Lightning from FFXIII), which still needs to be put up! But, anyway, she's gorgeous and a great musician. Love it!

Top 5 Games:

1) Chrono Trigger

2) Final Fantasy VII

3) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

4) The Last Of Us

5) Kingdom Hearts

Top 5 Consoles:

1) SNES

2) PS2

3) Xbox 360

4) DS/3DS

5) GBA

Consoles I Own: SNES, N64, Gamecube, GBA, 3DS, PSP, PS2, PS3, 360

Top 5 Franchises:

1) Kingdom Hearts

2) Final Fantasy

3) Zelda

4) Ace Attorney

5) Halo

Favorite Game Story: Hmmm, tough question. I would probably say a few to be honest. I love the stories for Halo 4, Final Fantasy 7, The Last of Us, and Kingdom Hearts. I've had conversations for like, 25 minutes, explaining the story to friends lol. I'm such a nerd.

Favorite Music: I listen to a lot of Christian music...mostly in the rock, hard rock, and metal genres. I listen to some rap, a lot of techno and dubstep, some indie music, etc. A few of my favorite artists right now are Dustin Kensrue (former lead singer for the band Thrice, but now leading worship at Mars Hill Church in Seattle and putting out some amazing albums), Vocal Few, The Classic Crime, Saviour Machine, Celldweller, Basshunter, Lindsey Stirling, and a lot more

Favorite MyIGN Event: Ummm, we have events? Lol...I had no idea...I'm still new...someone explain to me these mysterious creatures known as "events".

Anyway, there you have it...that's me in a nutshell...sort of Happy Halloween!